It’s the 22nd season of “Big Brother” and the second time the venerated franchise has done an all-star season, but it’s still going to be unlike any production of “Big Brother” to come before it.
While the differences may not impact what’s seen on the screens as much, there will be notable changes for home audiences. For one thing, there will be no screaming crowds on Thursday nights when someone gets evicted.
In fact, according to Julie Chen, she’s not going to be there, either. “I’ll be farther than ever from the houseguests as they get evicted. No hugs, not even a Chenbot handshake,” she joked to 360aproko, embracing the nickname BB fans gave her years ago for her wooden delivery.
In fact, Chen will not be visiting the house at all, reportedly, and everything will be tested and disinfected over and over again, including their weekly grocery deliveries.
“There’s too much on the line to not go above and beyond the protocol to make sure everyone is safe,” she told the outlet.
That doesn’t mean everyone in the house will be practicing social distancing or wearing masks 24/7 — though they probably should at least be washing their hands a lot. They’ve been quarantining separately now and if/when they enter the house, they’ll effectively be quarantining together for the duration of the show.
In that regard, once inside, they can get down to the usual shenanigans and hookups and all the other silly, up-close-and-personal things that make “Big Brother” such an experience. It also means challenges won’t have to be modified, either.
The crew is also working together in “pods,” per executive producer Rich Meehan. While they’re not quarantining, they are working exclusively with the same people, which minimizes their risk.
And their communication with the Houseguests remains through technology and the walls, which should help protect them, as well.
“If you ask me, once you’re in the ‘Big Brother’ house, it might be one of the safest places to be,” Chen said.
At the same time, the network gave fans their first glimpse of the redesigned house for this all-star season. Each year, “Big Brother” adopts a new theme and the house is tweaked to reflect that.
Meehan said that the house is in some ways an homage to the history of the show, celebrating 20 years this summer, but also teases upcoming twists the all-stars will have to deal with.
The living room takes the “star” theme literally, while a very cool spray-painted look adorns the kitchen and highlights some of “Big Brother’s” most iconic moments. And we love that the lounge celebrates famous showmances born on the show — as lots of heavy petting always goes on in there!
The infamous “Big Brother” rubber duckie, which can usually be seen in the pool outside, takes over the bathroom in easily the most adorable room in the house.
BB Superheroes take over one of the bedrooms, with classic cartoon images of some of the “Big Brother” greats smiling down at whomever winds up in there. Another room takes it to the next level, with 127 black-and-white photos of past “Big Brother” moments.
The final room serves as a reminder of what it’s all about. Throughout the summer, you want that coveted Head of Household bedroom key, and at the end you want to see your name on more keys than anyone else.
Speaking of the HOH room, the upstairs hallway has been expanded with a very cool loft room for hanging out, while the room itself looks like the kind of penthouse suite you might find atop one of LA’s swankiest resorts.
Seriously, this isn’t just dramatics for dramatics sake. After the “Summer Camp” theme, this year’s house is truly gorgeous, and we love how many different spaces it has for groups of people to sit together and hang — and plot — and scheme.
There were no hints as to how the backyard might be set up, though it’s largely the same each season, but we’ll all find out when Season 22 kicks off with a live two-hour episode on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.
